Process of manufacturing illuminating and fuel gases from wood.



R. M. POOLE. PRUGESS 0F MANUFACTURING ILLUMINATING AND FUEL GASES PROM WOOD.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1913.

1,093,470. Patented Apr.14,1914.

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CDLUMBIA PMNOGRKAPM co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

R. vlVlfPOOLE. I PROCESS OPMANUFAGTURINQ ILLUMINATING AND FUEL GASES FROM WOOD.

APPLICATION FILED MAY e, 191s.

1,093,470 Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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@..M-H .1 V4

COLUMBIA PLANOGRPH C0., WASHINGTON. DV c.

purr ai ROBERT MURION POOLE, OF MOUNL` GAMBER, SOUTH `AUSVRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING ILLUMINATING AND FUEL GASES FROM WOOD.

inesatto.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed August 26, 1912, Serial No. 717,200. Divided and this application led May 6,

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, ROBERT MUn'roN POOLE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Mount Gambier, in t-he State of South Australia, Australia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Processes of llllanufacturing Illuminating and Fuel Gases from `Woodg and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved process of manufacturing illuminating and fuel gases from wood, and it consists in the steps and processes herein `described and claimed.

This application is a division of application, Serial No. 717 ,200, filed by me August 26, 1912.

The illuminating gas can in known manner be strongly compressed, as for transport and storage, and can be expanded for consumption. It has special lighting power, and if burned on a Velsbach or like mantle produces a light suliiciently approaching daylight in quality to allow of excellent night photography including portraiture with apparatus ordinarily used with day photography. lt allows of color work at night that is not now usual because of the difficulty of then distinguishing colors. It can be advantageously burned at lower pressure than suits coal gas-with under 2 inches of pressure excellent light is obtained. lt is not adversely affected like air gas made with benzin by changes of temperature.

My gas yields a blue flame, almost invisible by day, which affords a great heat and which is useful for cooking; it being free from unpleasant odors or products of combustion. It is also valuable for internal combustion engines, as it deposits practically no carbon in the combustion chamber.

By retorting wood, and by the treatment of its gases, l obtain charcoal and many byproducts, the commercial value of which is much in excess `of the cost of production. Some woods are of greater gas making value than others, and when hard and soft woods are available l mix them. Pinus insignia produces more gas of high lighting quality (by the aid of incandescent mantles) than does an equal weight of eucalyptus, but the latter and hard woods generally are nevertheless valuable.

Serial No. 765,815.

The accompanying drawings are diagrammatic, and not to scale, nor do they show relative sizes or proportions of parts, nor all such obvious details as the dampers, valves, handholes, and so on that are installed in practice, such minor points of engineering construction being already well understood.y

ln the accompanying drawings, forming a. part of this application, and n which similar reference symbols indicate corresponding parts in the several views: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, with parts shown in section, illustrating part of an apparatus adapted to carry out my invention; and Fig.

l2 is a similar view of the remaining portion of such apparatus.

`Referringto the drawings, a indicates one of a series of wood retorts connected by pipes z, and 7L with a header 7b3 for receiving the gases and vapors distilled from the wood. The' pipes z are provided with downward extensions having one or more enlargements h5 for the deposit of heavy substances, a valve 7L being provided to permit ready removal of said deposits. The retorts a are heated by suitable furnaces c provided with chambers j' containing auxiliary retorts b and communicating with the discharge flues f; dempers f2 being provided in said flues for controlling the flow of the hot products of combustion through said chambers f. As shown in the drawings, the wood retorts a are provided at both ends with discharging doors exterior to the furnace walls and the connections 7i, and h of said retorts are also positioned exteriorly of the furnace to prevent injurious overheating thereof and to permit ready access for repairs. The retorts a are subjected to intense heat for causing a rapid distillation of the wood in order to produce a maximum quantity of gases therefrom.

A. pipe )i4 conducts the vapor and gases from the header h3 to an elevated condenser i in which the different liquid products of condensation are partially separated by gravitation, said pipe h4 discharging into the condenser at a point below an outlet pipe i2 for the lighter liquid condensations, such as pyroligneo-us acid. The heavy tarry condensations are withdrawn from the condenser from time to time by `an outlet pipe 1 provided with a valve '511; an overflow pipe provided with a gage 14 being connested with said pipe @'10 for preventing the tarry condensations fro-m rising in the condenser to the level of said outlet pipe 2 of the latter. I have shown the condenser provided with a water jacket z" provided with balies 5, and with an inlet Z, and an outlet pipe 7 for the cooling water; cooling tubes t extending through the condenser in communication with said water jacket. The hot retort gases delivered by the pipe h4 to the condenser z' are materially cooled by bubbling up through the cooled liquid condensations therein, and are conducted from the condenser by a pipe s to the top of an annular condenser j where their temperature is further reduced and impurities condensed; the liquid condensations being withdrawn j from said annular condenser by a valved drain jt. I have shown a pipe jz fo-r conducting the gases from the bottom of the condenser j to the top of a duplicate condenser y'3, and the gas can be thus circulated downwardly through any desired number of condensers. The annular condensers can be readily water cooled in,hot weather by flowing water downward over their exterior surfaces.

An eXhauster is shown for withdrawing the gases through a pipe from the condenser js and delivering it through a pipe m2 to a washerand purifier Z containing lime water, or other suitable purifying substance for removing further condensations and a portion of the carbonio acid from the gases; the gas passing through the lime water into a bell Z2 Z3 provided with a discharge pipe m. The pipes m and m2 are provided with valves and connected by a valved by-pass m3 to provide means for cutting out the exhauster a' and directing the gas from the condenser ja to the purifier Z. The purifier Z is provided with a dished bottom having' an outlet pipe Z controlled by a valve Z5 for drawing oft' the heavier substances deposited from the gas.

The pipe m discharges the purified gas into a washer n provided with a gage glass n', and maintained partly full of water which is renewed or freshened from time to time; the gas entering through a submerged gravity-seated ball valve similar to the hereinafter described valve 'v'. The gas, containing hydrocarbons, such as ethane, methane, ethylene, and their homologues, is conducted by a pipe n2 from the top of the washer n to the gas holder, and is there termed gas y VThe lighter liquid condensations are conducted by the pipe 2 from the condenser te a receiver o2 which has a valve-controlled drain oB and communicates with the heated auxiliary retort b by a feed pipe o3 provided with a vcontrolling valve b2 'and a safety valve Z; said valve :b2 being adjusted to maintain a drip or feed, proportionate to the rate Vof distillation in the `retort b. Thetemperature of the h l retort Z is regulated by t e camper f2 controlled by a valve p2 for conducting theV liquid distillates to a feed reservoir p which latter is shown provided with a sight feed device 293 for furnishing a uniform supply of the liquid distillates to a vaporizer g within the heating chamber r of a furnace provided with a damper r2.

'Ihe vaporizer g is heated to cause vaporization and parv tial gasification of the distillates suppliedthereto, and the vapor is conducted therefrom through a valve-controlled pipe g3 to a header g; a valved by-pass pt connecting said header with the feed reservoir p `to equalize the pressure in the latter for regulating the flow through said sight feed p3. A pipe Q2 conducts the gases from the vaporizer g to one or more highly heated retorts s in the furnace chamber r, for flX- ing said gases. I have shown two retorts s connected at their rear ends `to cause the gases to flow successively therethrough; gases of high quality being conducted from said retorts s by a pipe s leading to a condenser t. Such .gases as are not condensed in the coil o pass from the distillate tank 0 through a pipe o6 provided with a non-return check valve o7V to said pipe s, where they intermix with the gases fromthe retorts s. The condenser t is provided with a water jacket t having inlet and outlet pipes t3 and t for thel cooling water, and with a valve-controlled drain pipe Z5 for removing the impurities condensed from the gas; an eXhauster s3 may be placed in the pipe s if desired.

rIhe cooled gases are conducted by a pipe t2 from the condenser t to a washer @2 provided with a gage glass 'v3 and a submerged gravity-seated ball valve e, similar to the washer n previously described. The gas is conducted by a pipe @t from the top of the washer /02 to a separate gas holder and is there termed gas e The gases y and a are stored in separate tanks, from which they are conducted to a gasometer where they are mixed to produce a high'quality gils- The residues drawn off from the condensers z', j', i3, and t, and also the residues from the tank 02 and the retort Z9, constitute valuable by-products which canv be utilized in the arts in the usual manner.

I claim Y The process, as described, for the manufacture of wood gas, consisting i'n retorting the Wood to liberate the volatile products,

discharging the volatile products 'below the liquid level of similar pre-condensed products for condensing the same and causing the permanent gas to pass up through the liquid, drawing oli and purifying the permanent gas, drawing oli and distilling the lighter of the condensed products,condensing such distillates, conducting away the permanent gases evolved during such distillation, heat- 10 ing to cause vaporization and 'partial gasication of the condensed distillates, subjecting the gases to a fixing temperature, and mixing such fixed gases with the permanent gases.

In testimony whereof, I aix my signature, 15 in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT MURTON POOLE. Witnesses:

FREDERICK HENRY DANIEL, ALICE EDITH BINGLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. Y 

